The Lord’s Prayer
JESUS said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
REFLECTION
THIS IS HOW YOU ARE TO PRAY. The Lord’s Prayer is a summary of a long prayer the Jews pray every day, the so-called 18 Benedictions. In other words, Jesus is telling his disciples and Jewish listeners: Continue to pray what you are used to pray. It is a guideline for a God-pleasing prayer. We say this prayer every day—sometimes even several times. Because of that, it can become an automatic recital, and we “babble like the pagans.” This becomes worse when we are forced to use the traditional version, using words, like “trespasses,” that have now a different meaning than they had in the old English. We also are forced to utter now a heresy every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer. Why? We ask GOD not to lead us into temptation, but it was, is, and always will be the devil who leads us into temptation—never God! Already in the 3rd century the great teachers of the Church, Origen and Tertullian, were appalled that in the wrong Latin translation we ask God not to lead us into temptation. When we pray, we usually bring our petitions. But Jesus tells that every prayer should begin with praise and thanksgiving to the heavenly Father. God’s concerns come before our needs. This point could make our prayer more effective because it is more God-pleasing.
“To pray the Our Father we have to have a heart at peace with our brothers. We don’t pray ‘my Father,’ but ‘our Father,’ because we are not an only child, none of us are” (Pope Francis).
SOURCE: “366 Days with the Lord 2016,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: books@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.